


Commitment

by Tarn_Liberated



Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Blood and Injury, Gen, Humanformers, Robot pilot fic, Short One Shot, pacific rim-esque
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:22:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28703589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarn_Liberated/pseuds/Tarn_Liberated
Summary: Even if a horrifying alien attacks while Rodimus is on vacation, he knew better than to truly be worried, there's always some Mecha stationed in the vicinity to protect the people no matter where they were. After the first monster goes down and the machines pilot, Tyrest, is placed in the hospital there's no one to protect the citizens from the second wave.Other than Rodimus, that is.But rules are in place for a reason and piloting a machine is entirely different than reading about one in training.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 4





	Commitment

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write a fic where pilots fuse with their secretly sentient machines but I couldn't get out more than a one-shot so I decided to just share what I had.

The internals of the Cyber Mecha were everything Rodimus dreamed of and more. Even heavily damaged, the diamond sparkling floor shone bright and illuminated the steaming pipes and dangling wires. Red lights flickered along the upper section of the massive Stabilization room and the C-shapes metal curls were offline. The Mecha - Ultra Magnus - groaned like a ship battering against turbulent waves and Rodimus patted the nearest bit of metal to comfort it. He needed to snap out of his awe and get into action. Tyrest was in ICU and with Rodimus the only military personnel around it fell onto him to take care of the Corruption making its way over. 

The machine creaked and Rodimus moved to stand on the upraised panel. “All right, bud. Let’s show these people what we can do.” He waited for the controls to lower but five long seconds happened with nothing to show for the anticipation. Usually it booted up with a human's arrival. “Oh what the hell.” He scoured for a knob or button to activate the machine but everything available looked too far for it to be the ignition. He was wasting time like this - the Corruption was on its way and he couldn’t even figure out how to turn on the stupid thing. 

His fingers roamed over the warm metal panels hanging from the ceiling. There should be a hologram showing up. There should be a camera with a sensor. This setup was nothing like the Basics Rodimus trained with and with the faint roar of a suffering beast he scrambled across the room to the console. Everything was off. Not a single light on any of the keyboards and all screens were black. 

“Hey, uh, Cyber Bot? We gotta get into action!” He cupped his hands over his mouth and whistled. These things were supposed to have AI’s right? “Hey! Wake up!”

The ground trembled and Rodimus could hear another bellow grow closer. No. He could do this. “Wake up! Wake up!” He smashed his hands on the knobs and levers, yanking, pulling, pushing.

Without Tyrest at the controls Ultra Magnus remained offline.

Rodimus swallowed the thick lump in his throat. He told all those people he could save them. He saw their fear turn to hope. They weren’t waiting for death in the bunkers anymore they were counting on him to fight back and protect them. Thousands of people hoping to enjoy a vacation would be killed before they made it home. They’d never see their families again. They’d never see tomorrow.

Rodimus jumped at the buzz in his pocket and whipped his phone out, hurriedly swiping his hand over the screen to answer. “R-Rodimus here.” Was that truly a quiver in his voice?

“Rodimus! Thank god you’re all right!” Drift. This must have been on the news. “What’s going on?”

As much as he wanted to tell him everything they didn’t have time. “Tyrest is down. They took him to the hospital but there are more of those assholes on the way. I can’t get the robot to work. Do you know how to start them?”

“Start - what?! No? I don’t know a lot about them but I’m pretty sure you can’t activate it. It’s only designed to have a driver it’s compatible with.”

“I can be compatible!” Rodimus requested a video and saw Drift’s haggard expression. It was dark wherever he was. He had probably just woken up and called after he saw the news. “Here’s what it looks like. Is there anything I’m missing? I tried everything.”

“Are you on the Mecha?” Drift’s awe was as clear as day. “Rodimus. Even if you could turn it on it...it would kill you.”

“What?” He set the phone aside and turned it on speaker so he could continue fiddling with everything in sight. 

“You know how we aren’t allowed to enter Basics until we’re done with training and even then it’s three years of working with those shells? The machines play a toll on your body. They use up your own energy and without the right training it could kill you.”

“Well if I don’t do something we’re gonna die anyway!” He jabbed a finger at the camera, “I need you here for moral support - not to be my voice of reason. This is a vacation spot. There’s no military here except Tyrest and he’s all busted up!”

“I...I don’t know enough about the Cyber Mecha series to help. I’m sorry.”

“Honestly,” he said a little hesitantly, “Just being on the phone with you is helping a lot. I told those people I’d help them and…” his shoulders slumped. He dragged a finger down a polished strip of metal absently. Shame made his face grow hot and he peered down at his shorts and sandals. He wasn’t anywhere near geared up to control the robot. Nowhere near trained or dressed. He had no right to hide out in the Mecha while innocent people died right outside. “I’ve got to tell them to hide.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re already hiding.” Drift said softly. 

Rodimus groaned and slapped his cheeks, relishing in the sting as his senses came back. “Right. I’m gonna go out there and tell everyone the truth.”

“Your intentions were good. The news is debating on sending backup because there’s been no word from Tyrest. You might be able to hold out until then.” Drift’s voice was hopeful and Rodimus held onto every lilt and hum. “I don’t like the idea of not knowing if you’re going to be okay so if you can will you stay on the phone with me?”

“If you thought I was ever going to hang up now-“ he laughed and tried the heavy red handle, “I think if our situations were switched I’d kill you if the Corruption didn’t.” He heard the lock click and grimaced, tugging again. “Uh oh.”

“What?”

“I uh...hold on.” He set the phone in his pocket and used both hands. It wasn’t like this before. He had opened it so easily last time. The door should pop back and slide over. The locks weren’t stuck and they weren’t activated, that much Rodimus could clearly see. The hydraulics hadn’t hissed earlier. This shouldn’t be happening. 

“Rodimus?”

“I’m fucking _stuck_.” He staggered back and whipped the phone out, “New plan help me try and hack into the Mecha or everyone’s gonna think I’m some coward.”

“How are you stuck!?”

“The door won’t open!” He ran back to the console and dropped to his knees, feeling along the seamless metal for a bit of give to open a small panel. “Uh, Emergency Evac Protocol Twelve?”

“When you’re in a mech underwater?”

“The one where you’re locked inside a huge fucking robot while monsters are on their way!”

“That’s Protocol Three.” Drift sniffed, “And near your thigh there should be two red buttons.” Rodimus glanced down before he thumped himself in the forehead and spun the camera around for Drift to see. “Oh. This isn’t like the Basics at all.” He shook the phone furiously. “We aren’t trained in how to work with Cyber Mecha because we aren’t allowed to drive them!”

“So what do I do?” Before Drift could answer he saw two buttons pop to life, then four more. Like a pulsing wave the buttons on the console ignited into a variety of greens and blues, sharp yellows and reds along the borders. The dual enforced screens hummed to life and the machinery around him made a low, droning hum before it changed to an idle rumble. The light beneath his feet bloomed a bright whiteish blue and he covered his eyes for a moment to keep from being blinded.

He slowly got to his feet and his jaw dropped. It was like every science fiction trope when he was a child. New and angled lines marked designs in the floor and walls, flickering gauges snapped and and forth on yellow dots and illegible numbers, charts and schematics flashed all around the room on its many panels and the floor panel in the very center seemed to shift to a cool silver chrome instead of matte gray. Rodimus almost dropped his phone. 

“I think it activated.” 

Treading lightly onto the platform he saw the metal move like a living creature and mold around his sandals. Four pillars dropped from far above his head and stopped just before touching him. The one directly behind him turned and the top unfolded several times to create a brace that scooped around his midsection. There was an odd sensation of the cold metal becoming flexible to hug his body in a firm but comfortable grip. “Drift it’s working.

“Rodimus it can still kill you.”

The machinery paused its descent and Rodimus reached out to grab the pillar directly above its head. The metal transformed into a helmet similar to the helm shape of Ultra Magnus. He slipped it over and held his phone out in front of him, flashing Drift a peace sign. His friend looked like he had woken up more, his long hair in a loose ponytail, his lips were pulled in a frown. His eyes were haunting. He was so worried for Rodimus. “Drift, I’ll be okay.”

Drift pinched his eyes shut and took a deep breath. When he opened them he smiled, “You’ll be okay.” He cocked his head to the side, “I imagine you’ll need full concentration to pilot but I expect you to call me back when the government is done interrogating you.”

Rodimus winked. “Absolutely.”

“You’re gonna do great, Rodimus.”

It wasn’t the fact that he got choked up that the call ended, but that the pillars near his shoulders lowered and the ends flowered out to create gloves. Rodimus smiled to himself and put the phone back in his pocket. Time to focus. He blinked away the burning sensation in his eyes. “I’ll be fine.”

The robot groaned and Rodimus saw a visual feed of the outside when a holographic display popped up on the curved bit of metal from before. The Corruption was here. Rodimus slipped on the gloves and watched the metal slide up his arms and shoulders, eternally unfolding somehow to cover his entire body in a thin armor. It fleshed out and became rocky, filled with corners and protrusions when it was finished.

Rodimus laughed. “I look just like the Mecha…” He flexed and curled his hands into fists. “All right! Let’s f-“

The shock of electricity coursing through his body was so potent and sudden he didn’t have time to scream. Liquid ore shot up through the soles of his heels and into his veins, carving apart his muscle and bone in a feeling unlike anything he felt before. Through the cables connecting his hands to the pillars it felt like his fingernails had been ripped off. His bones broken and mashed back together. His lungs filled with air - so much air - too much air - they were going to pop. He could taste blood in his mouth and he couldn’t breathe through his nose anymore. He couldn’t feel the wetness pouring from his nostrils but he saw the red flecks when he spit and choked. Knives husked out his insides and tore apart his entrails like a meat grinder.

Finally Rodimus had a moment to process what was happening and he started to scream. His vision whited out and he found himself immobile. Drift was right. This would kill him. His own voice howled back at him in the confines of the room and when black dots flickered and filled his eyes like old static on a television there was the feeling of someone touching him. Two hands on his hips, two hands on his shoulders, two hands cupping his face.

The shrieking of electricity faded to a whisper. The hands touched him, roamed his body as if they were napping him out and every spot this fingers touched the agony disappeared. Rodimus gave all of himself to those hands and within seconds it was over. He could hear himself sobbing, wet hacks of spit and blood clogging his mouth. The hands removed themselves and Rodimus curled into a ball and buried his face into his forearms.

There was a blip. A point of awareness that told him to raise his head and investigate but he couldn’t. His body was shaking and he was so scared to move now. A low trilling beep sounded off beside his ear and he managed to peek over at a singular bluish white light. It floated motionlessly and out of the corner of his eye he saw several other red dots.

Two hands reached out to touch his cheeks and slide over his eyes. It was refreshing. Like staring at something too long and blinking for the first time in minutes. The burn faded and when Rodimus opened his eyes he was punched in the face by a purple speckled Corruption.

He felt himself stagger but his body was rigid. His head turned down to peer at the purple scuff marks on his chest and he felt sick at realizing he was in a body that was and wasn’t his. The cool refreshing sensation from before trailed down his spine and Rodimus brought up his hands to block the second punch. It felt so real. These optics felt like his eyes and these fingers curled when he did. He threw a right hook and the Corruption fell back onto a resort with a plume of brown dust.

Oh. He could get used to this. At this point it was just like regular fighting. He ducked, swung, and kicked. Lesser Corruptions went sailing and Rodimus cackled. He felt powerful. This was the full force of the Cyber Mecha and it was more than he ever dreamed. 

Three Corruptions down and he staggered, his heart giving a painful lurch. “What’s going on?”

A monitor appeared with his blood pressure and heart rate in the corner of his eye and he tried to read it without turning his head. The visual feed locked a moment later and Rodimus blinked. Oh wow. That was probably not good. 

A set of blinking lights appeared alongside a soothing chime. “What is that?”

A second later it read: _Communications Line Accepted_ and a squiggly line appeared at the bottom of his vision. : _Tyrest_ ?: the lines trembled with the voice and Rodimus knew they were related. : _These readings are far beyond your regular perimeters. We’re reading an influx of -_ : it was at that point Rodimus had no idea what they were talking about. He scooped up the nearest, smallest Corruption and hurled it into the ocean as far as he could throw. Which was pretty far now that he was essentially a gigantic robot. He went to grab another but his arm wouldn’t move. 

: _Tyrest_?:

“Uh, hello. Tyrest isn’t here actually.” Rodimus tried to keep his voice smooth but this was probably one of the Big Wigs. “First Cadet Rodimus from the Nyon District at your service.”

The line wiggled and flicked, telling him they were speaking but nothing he could make out. : _Rodimus…_ :

“Yeah. So, I was on vacation when these guys attacked and Tyrest got pretty banged up with this one monster and he was taken to the hospital but then more monsters came back and he didn’t show up so I got in the robot and fought them myself.”

Another stressful silence had him wishing he could do something. His legs were unresponsive, arms locked straight down. He saw humans peek out from homes as though they were three inches tall and wanted to wave. 

: _Rodimus we are going to do a full interrogation should you survive the desynchronization but right now I want you to listen closely. In less than 167 seconds your systems will fail and you will suffer a cataclysmic body failure. There is a chance to make it out if you are able to give yourself wholly to the Cyber system. If you’re able to do so the system can make sure your psyche remains whole and we can come and retrieve you from there._ :

What the fuck. Rodimus' heart rate continued to skyrocket and his hands shook. A little timer reading 158 seconds ticked down just below.

“H-how do I do that?”

: _You have to relax_.:

“You’re going to tell me I’m going to die in two minutes unless I relax _after_ you tell me I’m going to die if I don’t?!”

There was a thoughtful pause. : _I wanted you to be aware of the possibilities._ :

Rodimus when he regained control over the Mecha he started to pace. He walked back toward the resort and tiptoed around the outskirts of the hospital. Maybe Tyrest could see the robot and help somehow? He squinted and groaned when the world suddenly enhanced and zoomed into the closed windows of the hospital. A little blink appeared and Rodimus spotted a vague orange shape of something on the other side of the wall. “Tyrest?”

: _You have less than one minute._ : the man on the comm line informed him.

“Don’t tell me that!” Rodimus wanted to open the window so he could get a better look but his arms wouldn’t move again. “Oh fuck I wish I could talk to Drift.”

The white line shrank to a short dotted one and a larger communications line appeared. After the first ring Rodimus saw it spike. “Rodimus! You’re okay!”

“Drift I have like thirty seconds to calm down before I die help me.”

“Uh.” He listened to him flounder, “I...don’t know why you think you’d die. You weren’t killed during the initial sync with the Cyber Mecha so it's silly to think you'd die now.”

True. His heart rate was still erratic but he felt a fraction of his panic fade. “Yeah.”

“How about this. When this is all over, text me and we can make a day of watching movies and eating that awful popcorn you love so much. Just us hanging out on the couch doing nothing at all. I'll even make my mom's curry.”

“Hell yeah.”

5 seconds.

“Ask them if I can visit you and I’ll keep you company.”

“I will.”

His heart rate dropped - _plummeted_ \- and the call ended. It was as though every fiber in his being was sapped of energy and while he felt himself drop to his knees the robot knelt gracefully and bent at the waist. It’s massive silver hands came out to cup the space in front of its chest and the lights beneath his feet danced. A sickening vertigo snatched his mind and bile surged from his throat. He was shaking, mildly at first until it grew strong enough he heard his teeth chatter so loud it felt like they were rattling around in his skull. 

The machinery around him hummed and dropped to a timber that reminded him of a cat purring. His vision doubled and he saw the machine's hands and his own still encased in the metal. Something dribbled out of his mouth and he reached up to wipe it away but seeing his hands moving and _not moving_ only pulled him to the cusp of vomiting on himself.

Ethereal hands returned to touch his head and ribs, another curling under his chin and tilting his head back. The stable warmth held his hands and Rodimus knew it was all in his head. There was no one else in the machine. His mind was searching for a comfort that wasn’t real.

He made to throw off the helmet to see if the feeling would go away but he couldn’t move. He sank onto the ground in a messy pile and coughed.

The glow under his cheek dimmed and swelled and everything went dark.


End file.
